2011 Annual Report - Utah Commission on Volunteers

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State Service Commissions exist to administer Corporation for National Servicefunding to AmeriCorps state programs in their states through annual grantcompetitions. In addition, the Commissions manage, monitor and evaluatethese AmeriCorps programs. State Service Commissions are also charged withencouraging volunteering in their states.

Utah Commission on Volunteers

Table of Contents

Forward...................................................

AmeriCorps in Utah..................................

Volunteer Generation Grant.......................

Volunteer Recognition..............................

Youth Engagement...................................

2011 Conference on Service......................

Serving Communities, Changing Lives........

2012 Calendar..........................................

Back Cover...............................................

2011 Comm issioners Current Staff

Lt. Governor Greg BellBrian Garrett

Betsy WardErica DahlDwight RasmussenJake MurakamiBill SederburgStephanie SimmonsLarry ShumwaySue OkroyJudy BarnettBill CrimJohn Curtis

Jose EnriquezLori GiovannoniJeanne HallJennifer HoggeRon HumphriesBill HulterstromCarol HunterGail Miller

Anne OBrienGwen SpringmeyerKeith SquiresMcKenna StrongLeslie Wagstaff

LaDawn StoddardActing Executive Dire

Susan HaywardOutreach & Training

Amanda McDonaldProgram Specialist

Chris FredericksonExecutive Assistant

About Us:The mission of the Utah Commission on Volunteers (UCOV or theCommission) is to improve communities through service andvolunteerism. Created by state statute in February 1994, the Commission iscomprised of 25 members and 5 full time staff. It furthers its mission by pro-moting community collaboration, volunteer recognition, youthservice and administering federally funded AmeriCorps and National

Service programs.


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Improving Communities Through Service and Volunteerism

Since 1994 the Utah Commission on Volunteers (UCOV) has focused on increasing the capacity of organizations to serve, strengthenand transform communities through service and volunteerism. In reflecting on the past year with the Commission, 2011 broughtsignificant achievements. Through the Volunteer Generation Fund Grant the Commission has been able to expand its relationship withocal volunteer connector organizations and a new Volunteer Recognition program has been introduced with tremendous reception fromhe non-profit sector.

Utah continued to rank #1 in the nation for volunteering in 2011, not only in the number of volunteers and the intensity with whichhey serve, but also across all measurable demographics. That being said, our goal is to build upon that success and encourage even

more Utahns to volunteer on a regular basis and work with organizations that need their particular skills and abilities.

n our ongoing effort to promote our mission of Improving Communities through Service and Volunteerism, we have come torecognize the importance and impact of our National Service programming across the State. Over 400 individuals elected to serve their

community through AmeriCorps membership in 2011.

These individuals, who served on a part-time to full-time basis, recruited and mobilized more than 31,000 volunteers who tutored andmentored youth, connected underserved populations with health care resources, cleaned and tended parks and streams, providedrecreational opportunities for those with disabilities, provided services to those at risk for homelessness, taught environmentalstewardship, operated after-school programs, and helped communities prepare for disasters giving over 308,000 hours of service. Theestimated economic contribution to the State of these volunteers is $5,534,760.

We are proud of these accomplishments and grateful for the efforts provided to make them a reality, but there is still much to be doneo help preserve a bright future for our great State. Looking ahead, we are excited about the possibilities for engaging more Utahns in

service and volunteering.

As we embark on a new chapter in the life of the Utah Commission on Volunteers, it is appropriate to review last years activities as afoundation for the future. We encourage you to read on to see how the Commission leverages federal dollars in Utah communities, see

how community challenges are met, individuals are engaged in civic service, and volunteers are thanked and honored for their work.The Commission is excited to offer even more opportunities in 2012 to shape service and contribute to Utah communities.

Yours in Service,

Greg BellLieutenant GovernorState of Utah

LaDawn StoddardActing Executive DirectorUtah Commission on Volunteers


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he Utah AmeriCorps Literacy/M ath Tutoring Initiative was created to meet the challenge of No Child Left Behind. This programorks with 110 schools to provide AmeriCorps members who serve as tutoring coordinators within the school. Theses members recruitnd train community volunteers who tutor children in math and reading. The focus is in the primary grades 1 - 3 to assure that childrenre at or above grade level by the end of third grade. In the 2010/2011 school year this program recruited 9,950 volunteers who donated90,300 hours tutoring 12,464 children across the state. Statewide

meriCorps and the Medically Underserved in Utah places members at health care sites throughout the state of Utah. AmeriCorpsmembers work to reduce economic, geographic, cultural, and language barriers to health care and to expand primary care services for themedically underserved populations of Utah. This program has helped over 3,300 individuals establish a medical home with health care clin-

s rather than using the emergency room for treatment, which equates to a significant cost savings to the public. Statewide

he Chronic Homelessness Program located in Salt Lake County, involves AmeriCorps members in functions that supplement casemanagement operations in segments of the population who are determined to be at high risk for homelessness. The targeted populations

clude young people who have aged out of foster care and recently housed individuals who have previously been identified as chronically

USU Community Outreach Program incorporates members in a unique project, Aggie BlueBikes. The mission of Aggie Blue Bikes is to promote increased bicycle commuting to improveair quality in the Cache Valley. Bicycles are made available to students at Utah State Universitywhich can be rented for commuting as well as tools sets for students to use to repair their own

bikes. Over 3,000 students have used the services provided by the program through 2011.Cache County

The Boys & Girls Clubs AmeriCorps Project focuses on inspiring and enabling young peo-ple to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens through two mainfocus areas: Education/Career Development and Health/Fitness. The program partners withvarious Boys & Girls Clubs from throughout the state of Utah in placing AmeriCorps membersto provide structured activities to Utah youth, ages 6-18 before school, after school, and duringthe summer. During the 2010/2011 program year the program worked with more that 2,500youth across the state. Statewide

As I finish out this year of Ame-riCorps service I feel very satis-fied about what I have achievedat my host sites. I truly feel thiscomplements my service to thiscountry through the military andI feel that it has prepared me forfuture work in non-profi ts.

-AmeriCorps and the MedicallyUnderserved in Utah Member-

omeless. Services were provided for 250 households throughout the 2010/2011 program year.alt Lake County

he Youth Garden Project (YGP) provides educational programs to Grand County youth andommunity members through organic gardening, extra curricular programs and community servicerojects. This program uses gardening and mentoring as a metaphor to teach civic engagementnd job skills to the youth of Grand County. This program provides educational opportunities thatoster, in youth, the desire for lifelong learning and an appreciation for community and the environ-

ment. In 2011 this program served over 1,000 youth through classes and summer camp programs.

rand County

he Utah Conservation Corps works in partnership with state and federal land management agencies to complete needed statewideonservation projects. The program has also developed a partnership with the US Forest Service to survey recreational facilities for ADAccessibility utilizing AmeriCorps member with disabilities to perform the surveys. In 2011 the program complete 39 surveys of recreation-l facilities, maintained 72.34 miles, created 13.27 miles of new trail, built 4.5 miles of new fence, maintained 24.32 miles of fence, andestored 5760 acres of habitat on public lands. Statewide


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Volunteer Generation Fund

The Volunteer Generation Fund (VGF) supports efforts to expand the capacity oforganizations to recruit, manage and retain individuals to serve in high quality voluntassignments. Grant monies were awarded to Volunteer Connector Organizationsstatewide who sub-grant to partner nonprofits for participation in national days of se

projects. In 2010/2011, $48,500 in grants were awarded to 12 Volunteer ConnectorOrganizations for the Martin Luther King and 9/11 National Days of Service.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

National Day of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. oncesaid, Lifes most persistent and

urgent question is: What areyou doing for others?

MLK Day of Service projectsincluded literacy and mentoring

programs, care packages andletters for soldiers, numerousfood bank projects (cleaning,

restocking, food drives, buildinga facility), birthday bags for

Juvenile Justice Services, and ananti-bullying campaign.

Volunteer CenterOrganizations Used:

890 Total Volunteers2630 Volunteer Hours

9/11 National Day of Se

For 9/11 Day of ServicRemembrance, projects were req

to focus on military, vetemilitary families and first respon

Thousands of letters and pacfor deployed soldiers were comp

events for military families (payard cleaning, household mainten

food collection, child care), sobeing deployed recorded reading

for their children to listen to inabsence, veterans took trail

and barbequed with the Kostopulos Foundation staff, camo quwere sewn for deployed soldiers, working with organizations wcare for homeless veterans and cleaning and landscaping AmeLegion posts.

We felt these projects were very successful. We already have plansto partner with First Step House for two additional service days in

April and September 2011 based on the success of this event. TheFirst Step House in particular was successful because the veterans andother clients enjoyed working alongside the students and thispartnership is expanding as a result of this project. Many long-term

volunteers are being developed through this partnership. The successwas based on the number of volunteers that participated exceedingour goal by nearly 50%. Success was also evaluated on the likelihoodthat long term volunteers will result.

Nancy Bassinger, Ph.D., Assistant Director & Service-Learning Managerat the Bennion Center

Volunteer Management

Trainer Certification

The Volunteer Generation Fund Grant was also used to assessvolunteer management training needs in Utah. This assessment wasused in the development of a Volunteer Management TrainerCertification program. Eight Volunteer Connector organizationshave been selected to participate in the certification and will thenimplement a training plan for nonprofits in their communities. The

Volunteer Management Trainer Certification training will commencein February, 2012.

Volunteers CenterOrganizations Used:

9,099 Total Volunteers29,771 Volunteer Hours

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Volunteer Recognition

Volunteer Recognition Certificate

Volunteer Recognition Certi fi cate Program

The Commission launched the Lt. Governors Volunteer RecognitionCertificate program in August of 2011. The program is an opportu-

nity for organizations to recognize the volunteers that work so hardproviding service.

The Volunteer Recognition Certificate:Is non-competitive, easy, and low-costCan be utilized by any nonprofit, faith-based, corporate orgovernment agencyIs aimed at recognizing more of the many volunteers helping tomake Utah a better statePromotes and inspires further ongoing volunteer efforts

The Commission distributed over 100 Volunteer RecognitionCertificates in 2011.

Lt. Governors Volunteer Recognition& Aw ards Banquet

April 19, 2011

Salt Lake City Hilton Hotel

Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell and the Utah Commission on Volun-eers congratulate the 2011 Utah State Volunteer Service Award andCounty Silver Bowl Award recipients. These awards celebrate the

extraordinary volunteer efforts of Utahns all across the state.

2011 State Award Winners

Governors Lifetime Achievement Award:Marion Palmer

Lt. Governors Civic Volunteer of the Year Award:Kelly Christensen

Nonprofit Volunteer Program of the Year:English Skills Learning Center

Corporate Volunteer Program of the Year:Utah Community Credit Union

Volunteer Administrator of the Year:Lt. Jeff Koehler

Senior Volunteer of the Year:Henry Ogborn

Youth Volunteer of the Year:Erin Olschewski

AmeriCorps Member of the Year:Cathlena Plammer

AmeriCorps VISTA Member of the Year:

Lisa Hammon

I know there are Utahnsthroughout our great state whoare freely giving their time and

talents for the betterment of thecommunity. These programs give

us the opportunity to recognizetheir achievements.-Lt. Governor Bell

June 2010 through the present, Aubreyhas spent over 100 hours volunteering

in our Crisis Respite Nursery. Over thattime she has helped hundreds of children

who needed a safe place to stay froma high-risk or crisis situation. Because

of Aubreys competence and skill, we

have been able to take children withsignificant behavior difficulties during her

time, for the sole reason that we knewwe would have her help. Because of

Aubreys help, we have been able to take

The Volunteer R ecognition Certi fi cate is a great way torecognize our amazing volunteers at the Hum ane Society.Its easy to do, and volunteers know that they are trulyappreciated when you present them the certificate.-Utah Humane Society-

The Family Support and Treatment Center requesteda Volunteer Recognition Certificate for Aubrey, saying that From

in more children, and eachchild has benefitted from more qualityattention and her example as a role model.


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Youth Engagement

650+ Youth

20,000+ hours

2011 Summer of Service Winners: Daniel Ovard age 13, Shnon Babb age 23, and Dale Greenland age 53, recorded themost service hours in their age categories over the past thrmonths, earning both a Presidential Service Award and luncwith Lt. Governor Bell.

Daniel Ovard volunteered at the Living Planet AqauriumShannon Babb volunteered at that Living Planet AquariumDale Greenland volunteered at the CAP in Magna

Summer of Service 2011

Summer of Service is a statewide campaign in partnership with the UtahCommission on Volunteers and many nonprofits organizations acrossUtah. The campaign encouraged and mobilized people of all ages tomake a difference in their communities through volunteering over thesummer.

By simply signing up to participate, volunteering their time and loggingtheir hours online, participants could win a Presidential Service Awardsigned by the President of the United States. The people that logged themost hours of service from June 1 through August 31 in their age groupwon lunch with Lt. Governor Greg Bell. In addition to the three topvolunteers, all volunteers ages 5 to 14 who logged more than 50 hoursof service, and those ages 15 and older who served more than 100

hours were also honored with a Presidential Service Award andRecognition Pin.

Volunteering is at the heartand soul of Utah, and it iswith great personal pride

that I recognize these threeUtahns for their service thissummer. Let their examplesserve as inspiration for all ofus to increase our level of

volunteerism in our localcommunities.

Lt. Governor Bell

April 15-17, 2011

In UtahProjects: 38

Youth Volunteers: 1,473

Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) recognizes and celebrates thecontributions children and youth, ages 15-25, make to theircommunities. Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is thelargest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicato children and youth. Each year, the day is celebrated a recognized over 100 countries. Over 1,400 youth participated in GYSD in Utah in2011, with projects ranging from refugee services to neighborhoodcleanups to community art projects.

Look forward to Global Youth Service Day April 20-22, 2012

WorldwideProjects: 3502+

Youth Volunteers: 550,363+

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Lt. Governors Conference on Sevice Partnering for Impact

The 2011 Lt. Governors Conference on Service brought togetherNational Service members with leaders from the nonprofit, govern-ment and private sectors to discuss volunteer management practicesand inspire attendees to make a difference in their communities.

In keeping with the theme, Partnering for Impact, the Commissionon Volunteers partnered with the Utah Nonprofits Association, theNonprofit Academy for Excellence and the Utah Society of Fundrai-ers to ensure that the conference met the needs of all conferenceattendees.Workshops were tailored to the needs of organizations and individu-

ls that manage and work with volunteers; keynote speakers spoke on both the national and local impact of volunteering; and volunteerrojects were offered that provided lasting help to the organizations involved.

This conference was w ell wort h my tim e. I

enjoyed and learned every min ute of it.

2011 Conference Attendee

Our Keynote Speaker, Shirley Sagawa, a

national expert on childrens policy and

philanthropy, has been called a founding

mother of the modern service movement in the

United States. All were inspired by the examplesshe shared about volunteer programs that are

making adifferenice nationwide. Her book, The

American Way to Change, profiles real people

who have performed national service, examines

the organizations they have worked with, and

reveals the often profound impact these local

heroes have made through their efforts.

The w orkshops w ere very, veryinformational. They were thingsI wish everyone would learn,and things that I will definitely

use for the rest of m y life.

2011 Conference Attendee

The Conference focused on making an

impact in our community by providing

service projects focusing on children,

youth or families. Opportunities to

serve great organizations around

the valley, as well as projects at the

hotel, were available for conference

participants.

Exerpt from a letter to Senior Corps M embersfrom Lt. Governor Bell:

With the Senior Corps Week celebration just around thecorner, it was the perfect opportunity to thank you. Our stateand nation rely upon citizens like you who see needs in theircommunity and take it upon themselves to be a part of thesolution. You are the leaders in our state among volunteers,and a major reason that Utah continues to be ranked #1 in theUnited States in volunteering.

Your service represents compassion, patience and sacrifice inserving those around you. It would be so much easier at thistime in your life to sit back and reflect on the problems in oursociety. But you have chosen to do just the opposite youhave chosen to act!

-Lt. Governor Bell-

Encore Committee

The Commission seeks toempower the growing

population of olderAmericans to use theirskills, experience, andenergy to help addresscommunity problimes

hrough National Serviceand volunteerism.

2011 EncoreCommittee Events:Senior Corps Week,September 19-23

Collaboration with NationalDays of Service: MLK Day and

9/11 Day


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It is great working with these men and women because they are coming back as activemembers in our military and have either been injured or are recovering from an injury.Their attitude and zest for getting back to a normal before their injury is a lot like howfelt when I was hurt. It is really cool seeing the spectrum of injuries and seeing how eamilitary person reacts to adaptive recreation and how we are using it as a tool at the NAto promote a healthy lifestyle and a way to cope with some of the very different waysgetting back to that normal. It was once again a great group and I look forward to worwith them in the days ahead as we have many more opportunities to work with our milimen and women.

-National Ability Center AmeriCorps Member-

Sometimes it is easy to feel like we are notappreciated for all the hours we give. Oneday as I was reading and a little boy in mygroup started laughing. I said what is sofunny. He said I just love this book! We

are helping these kids not only improve butgive them a love for reading good books.We do make a difference! Especially tothose kids who dont get one on one read-ing at home.-AmeriCorps Literacy Initiative Member-

Serving Communities, Changing Lives

"I was able to go out to a house fire response at a singfamily home and was so glad I was there to assist. Thewoman in the home was so very appreciative of the ReCross. It was a great experience to see full circle how tRed Cross prepares people for events such as these, bthen also responds to help those who are suffering whdisaster does happen."-AmeriCorps Be Red Cross Ready Program Member-

I helped motivatestudents toimprove andmaintain a positiveattitude for learning. I helped the people in my community prepareand feel safer- by providing classroom emergency buckets for myschool and by training for my hometowns CERT. I experienced joyfrom giving more of my time to serve within my community, and

I felt the gratitude & appreciation of others. I gained confidence,learned teamwork & communication, and fulfilled greater respon-

sibilities. I became dedicated, felt commitment & connection, and de-veloped a stronger desire to help, and a stronger love for what I do.I strengthened America by strengthening myself and my community-all through AmeriCorps! Within my heart exists pride for belongingto such an organization- it has been the best opportunity ever! I wasalready actively serving in my community before joining AmeriCorps,yet now I see even more motivation within myself to incorporateservice into the rest of my life!- AmeriCorps Literacy Initiative Member-

After my year of service with AmeriCorps I now feel that I knomore about how it is to work in social service. I think the worsocial workers is more valuable than ever in this economic climin which many families no longer have steady incomes or healtinsurance. I am now in contact with many agencies and key pthat can help a community member when in crisis, this brings to the point that in order to survive humans rely on social net-

works, whether they are extended family or church networks. forge ahead with this idea in mind in my future careers.-AmeriCorps & the Medically Underserved in Utah Member-

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Financial Report

Looking Forward to 2012January12 Annual Board Retreat16 MLK Day of Service

February6 Conference on Service Registration Opens

March10-18 AmeriCorps Week31 Conference on Service Registration Closes

April

20-21 Global Youth Service Day Events24 Conference on Service - AmeriCorps Day25 Lt. Governors Annual Conference on Service25 Volunteer Recognition & Awards Banquet

May10 Board Meeting

June1 Summer of Service Begins

July

August9 Board Meeting31 Summer of Service Ends

September10 AmeriCorps Request for Proposals11 9/11 National Day of Service

October

November

December

A wide range offinancial contributions are necessary tomeet the critical needs of the state, coordinate thousands of

AmeriCorps members and volunteers, and promote national

service in Utah. Local organizations have made commitmentsto identify needs in their communities and address them.For service programs to provide solutions to serious needsin the community, there must be ongoing support from localand state organizations, we express appreciation for all whocontribute to make Utah communities stronger.

Commission Funding

Administrative$250,000

State Funding$153,000

Program Developmentand Training$96,429

Disability$59,953

AmeriCorps Program Funding

Total FederalProgram Funding$3,493,301otal Local Cash/In-

ind Match Leveraged6,656,680

Sub-granted Funding Focus Areas

Education$1,936,097

Environment/Disaster$682,927

Economic Opportunity$520,017

Health$354,260


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2011 Annual Report

The Utah Commission on VolunteersUtah State Library

250 N 1950 W Ste ASalt Lake City UT 84116-7901

Phone: 888-755-8824Fax: 801-715-6725

Documents

2011 Annual Report - Utah Commission on Volunteers